Wives submit

Colossians
Although we read Colossians today, I would like to point you to the commentary from Barnes on Ephesians 5:22 (click here to go to the commentary), which is a parallel passage to Colossians 3:18.  This verse is about wives submitting to their husbands.  Sometimes, people, particularly women, like to get all up in arms about this verse, and think they have to lay aside their personality, sense of self-worth, and pretty much everything else in order to submit to a husband.  That's not what we're talking about here.  Check out Barnes' notes - he gives a variety of circumstances that apply, but he also states that, above all, women must obey God.  God is the head of all people, and submission to husbands does not trump that.  Husbands must rule in line with Christ, and so, as long as both parties live within the will of God, there shouldn't be too much trouble.  It may not always work out so easily, but never let it be said that women have to forfeit their very selves in following their husbands.  The only person we completely surrender to is God.

The secret things of God

1 Corinthians

What are the secret things of God?  Google leads you to more than a million different sites that suggest the answer or provide a definition of their own version of the secret things of God.  The top hit is a book by Henry Cloud - The Secret Things Of God: Unlocking The Treasures Reserved For You.  That book actually sounds kind of interesting.

I'm inclined to follow Barnes's interpretation that the secret is the gospel, the good news that God will save all mankind through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ.  God's plan was hidden in a mystery until the time of Christ, but now it has been made known to those he calls.  It's still a mystery to unbelievers, and sometimes seems kind of mysterious to those who do believe!  Justice is achieved through grace and mercy, and that is a mystery.

Fortunately, we don't need to try and solve the mystery or the secret anymore.  That's what is life-changing - God has clearly shown us the way to salvation, if we care to see the truth.  If we already have discovered the secret things of God, I believe it's our job to help others unlock the secrets for themselves.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit

Matthew
Matthew 12:31 and 32 says "And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."

This passage was always a bit confusing to me, and I wondered what exactly was meant by speaking against the Holy Spirit.  Since I am now writing this blog, I took the time to look into these verses from today's reading.  What I found made a lot of sense.  I looked at some online commentaries from the bible.cc website (mainly Barnes' notes on the bible).  When Jesus was talking about the Son of Man, he referred to his earthly nature.  Insults or comments against that part of himself could be forgiven, such as comments regarding his birthplace (nothing good ever comes from Nazareth).  Speaking against the Holy Spirit referred to Jesus' divine nature, the part of him that was 100% God.  For people to speak negatively about that, such as by assuming he came from the devil rather than God, there would be no excuse.
Wesley describes the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit as follows: "It is neither more nor less than the ascribing those miracles to the power of the devil, which Christ wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost."  Barnes puts it this way: "He that speaks against me as a man of Nazareth - that speaks contemptuously of my humble birth, etc., may be pardoned; but he that reproaches my divine nature, charging me with being in league with Satan, and blaspheming the power of God manifestly displayed "by me," can never obtain forgiveness."